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Owen Reynolds, MD

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 132 words of the full text and any section headings.

Hypertrophic lichen planus clearly resembles extrusive igneous rock, as nicely shown by Welsh et al.¹ But I ask 1 question: What image does the term igneous rock create in the mind of a dermatologist (or a geologist, for that matter)? Unlike the term peau d'orange, for instance, which creates a specific image, the term igneous rock conjures up no specific image. To a dermatologist like myself from New England, igneous rock might suggest granite. But to someone from the West Coast or Hawaii, it probably suggests volcanic rock like rhyolite, basalt, pumice, or obsidian. I'm afraid that the term igneous rock is so vague that it does nothing to facilitate communication.

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Correspondence: Dr Reynolds, 198 Massachusetts Ave, North Andover, MA 01845 (odrderm@aol.com).

Financial Disclosure: None reported.

1. Welsh JP, Skvarka CB, Allen HB. A novel visual clue for the diagnosis of hypertrophic lichen planus. Arch Dermatol. 2006;142:954. FREE FULL TEXT

Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(1):118.

RELATED ARTICLE

A Novel Visual Clue for the Diagnosis of Hypertrophic Lichen Planus
John Patrick Welsh, Christopher B. Skvarka, and Herbert B. Allen
Arch Dermatol. 2006;142(7):954.
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